Chapter 7: Reunion and Departure
"So, now that that's settled with, shall we be off into town?" Virion asked.
"Wait, you wanna tag along?" Anna asked.
"But of course, we didn't come all the way here for nothing." Virion flashed a sly smile. "Besides, surely a lovely lass such as yourself expects us to go home without spending quality time with an old acquaintance, do you?" He suddenly let out a low grunt, for Cherche elbowed him in the rib. A hush fell upon the room as all eyes were on Virion. "Whatever did I do?"
"Oh, nothing. Just doing my job as a wife." She said with a smile, although her voice sounded cold. "But enough of that, if you wish to go shopping, we should go now. I have something that can trigger his memory of me." Cherche also flashed a sly smile, although it quickly faded away as she turned to leave. Virion had a jealous look on his face as he followed his wife, and the three girls and man followed them. By the time the five reached the front gate, Cherche was already gone. A loud roar was heard, making the ground shake under their feet. Say'ri drew her sword, while Robin stumbled and fell onto the ground. Anna looked around while Tiki and Virion stood more peaceful than the others.
"What was that foul roar just now?" Say'ri asked herself aloud.
"That "foul roar" happens to be a companion of mine." Virion sighed. "Although she sounds quite agitated for some reason."
"Your friend is a wyvern, yes?" Tiki asked Virion.
"Yes; a loyal member of House Virion and member of my family." Virion smiled.
"A wyvern?" Robin asked.
"Oh, that's right...we never did explain to him some of the "things" he would see, did we?" Anna mumbled.
"So much for a fair warning." Virion chuckled.
"What do you mean "fair"?" "Robin" asked the duke.
The duke merely responded by opening the gate. Outside said gate was Cherche sitting on a giant creature. The creature had a head shaped like a dragon, a long, scaly body, two scaly legs, and a barbed tail. Upon seeing the gate open, the creature let out a ear-shattering cry, causing all (excluding Cherche) to cover their ears. It then charged forward at them. The five jumped out of the way, noticing Cherche's blatant grin. She whispered something to the creature, and it flew back around. This time, it was heading straight for Robin. Robin backed up into a corner while Cherche and her creature closed in on him. After an order from Cherche, the creature stopped in front of Robin and roared. Robin covered his head with his hands, closing his eyes and shivering with fear.
"Minerva, do you recognize this person?" Cherche asked. The creature called Minerva leaned in closer to Robin, causing him so shiver more. The other four merely watched as Minerva stared down the man. Upon realizing he was not eaten alive, he stopped shaking and looked back at the wyvern. Minerva immediately roared again, and slammed her face into Robin, pinning him to the wall. Robin gasped for air while Cherche giggled. "I knew she'd remember you." A wide smile appeared across her face. "Aww, look at you two; she's never snuggled with a man that long."
"C-can't...breathe..." Robin gasped for air.
"D-dear, perhaps it's time to let Robin go." Virion stepped in. "We don't want to suffocate the poor lad."
"Ah, yes, but of course. Down, Minerva."
Reluctantly, the wyvern pulled away, allowing Robin to fall to the ground. He gasped for air desperately, trying to regain his composure.
"Never...scare me...like...that again." He said in between huffs.
"Come now, look at her?" Cherche told him. "Don't you remember the cutest wyvern in the whole realm? How you tried to get her a partner on my behalf?"
"Wait a minute, you asked him to-" Virion began.
"Partner?" Robin thought for a moment. "hmm...a partner for a dragon...doesn't ring any bells. ...But then again my head is still ringing from that bloodcurdling cry..." Realizations struck his face. "Blood...curdling..."
-Flashback-
"Ah perfect timing, Mikel. I want to ask you something." Cherche put down the portrait she was holding.
"What about?" The tactician asked.
"Among your many friends, are there any particularly beautiful wyverns?"
"...Did you just ask if I have good-looking wyvern friends?" Mikel stared at the woman with a worried look.
Cherche sighed in response. "Hmm...Well, it was worth a shot. I'm looking for a partner for Minerva. I must have searched through dozens of portraits and letters of introduction. And yet, not a single one has been up to Minerva's very exacting standards."
"Minerva?" The boy thought for a moment. "That massive thing you ride into battle?" He scratched the back of his head nervously. "I, er, didn't know that anyone offered match-making services for wyverns."
"No one does! That's what is making this so difficult." Cherche let out a long sigh. "Well, I've been doing everything all on my own so far."
"Woah, impressive. You're breaking new ground in wyvern relations." Mikel joked.
"It's a giant leap for mankind and wyvernkind alike, I'll wager." She stared at him for a while, making him feel uncomfortable. "...Want to pitch in?"
"Well if you think I can help!" A huge smile appeared across his face as he let out a laugh. "Ha ha ha...ha?" He noticed her facial expression had not changed. "Wait...you were being serious?"
But Cherche was not listening, for she was too busy talking to her wyvern. "Oh did you hear that, Minerva? Mikel is going to help us!" The wyvern let out a loud roar in response. "Oh, look how happy you've made Minerva!"
"Um...that bloodcurdling sound was happiness?!" Mikel was now at least 10 steps away, covering his ears.
-end of flashback-
"...that was...not too long after we first met, correct?" "Robin" asked.
Cherche jumped off Minerva and rushed up to him in excitement. "Yes, exactly!"
"Ha ha, I remember it didn't end well. Minerva and her date ended up fighting and almost burning down a village!"
"I remember that night well! Oh, he was such a fine wyvern, but alas..."
"I also remembered that you stopped them both."
"They just needed to calm down." Cherche laughed. "If anything, all I did was talk to them."
"While they were on a rampage, mind you."
"Ah, I still want to apologize to you. You did so much work setting it up, and in the end we decided Minerva doesn't need a mate..."
"Nonsense, I was happy to..."
As the two friends talked, Virion watched with a smile. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was seeing my wife behind those books he had."
"Virion, is that a hint of proudness I see in your eyes?" Tiki asked.
"No, it's nothing of the sort." His smile escaped his lips. "It's more of relief than proudness. For if I was right, he'd have to take an arrow to the knee."
"Why the knee?" Tiki asked.
"Because if you can't bend both knees, you can't see other men's wives behind their backs, my good lady."
"I hate to close shop on you two so early, but we have a schedule to keep." Anna clapped her hands impatiently, grabbing the two's attention.
"She's right; We should be heading out." Cherche giggled.
"Right, let's get moving." The tactician followed the pathway leading away from the castle.
"Wow, he's suddenly in good spirits." Anna remarked.
"The more memories he gets back, the happier he seems." Tiki smiled. "I'm sure he just feels happy that he doesn't have to recover his memories alone."
"Lady Tiki raises a good point." Say'ri said. "Imagine being lost in unfamiliar territory, with no clue of who you may be, nor how you became to be in your current situation. It is truly a scary thought."
"Well we better follow him so he doesn't end up lost." Virion said, glancing at his wife, who was not chatting with her wyvern.
Meanwhile, in a nearby town...
"Mother, look at this!" Morgan exclaimed.
Lissa rushed over to her daughter to see her holding a small yellow book. "Gee Morgan, ANOTHER book for tactics, eh?"
"Yep, and this one is only 300 gold. Can I get it please?"
"I don't know kiddo...you've already gotten 11 others. I don't think Frederick can carry any more."
"I assure you Milady; I am perfectly capable of carrying more." Frederick grunted behind them.
"Frederick, those books are piled so high I can't even see the bushy part of your hair!" Lissa gasped.
"..." Frederick remained silent.
"Please Mother?" Morgan gave her a big-eyed look.
"Well, it IS for your future, I guess..." Lissa let out another sigh. "All right fine, but this is the LAST book, okay?"
"Yes, ma'am!" Morgan jumped around in glee as she yelled for the vendor's attention, causing both adults to giggle. In the background stood an uneasy Chrom, watching his family shop till one was broke and the other collapsed under the power of knowledge.
"*sigh* (Why did I agree to take a small break)?" Chrom thought to himself. "(We don't have all day...)" At that moment he noticed Flavia and Basilio walking up to him.
"Lighten up, boy!" Basilio told him. "Take a breather and buy you or the misses something special, will ya?"
"For once, I agree with Basilio." Flavia nodded. "There's no rule saying you can't shop between businesses."
"Thanks, but I assure you, I won't need a gift anytime soon." He frowned for a moment. "Neither will Sully...she's not much of a gift person..."
"I say you buy her something and save it for the right occasion." Basilio suggested. "Buy her something that interests her!"
"That would probably be a new weapon or training bag." Chrom said.
"I don't see the problem with that!"
"Bah, some romantic gentleman you are." Flavia grunted.
"Like you know more than I do about it!" Basilio laughed. "Trust me Flavia, I've seen love both gained and lost over the years."
"Keep up that attitude and you won't live to see any more!"
"Now, now...let's not get hasty." At that moment Emmeryn walked up to him. He let out a sigh of relief. "Did you find anything out Emm?"
"No, nothing of the sort." Emmeryn told him. "Except for two things we might want to see."
"Hmm...I'm listening." Chrom looked at her with a smile.
"The first is a dance troupe wandering the continent. They're preforming somewhere in town today. I thought it would be nice if we were to go and relax a bit." This caused Chrom to take another sigh. "Also, the princess is supposed to watch it today as well. She's bringing company, as well."
"Thank you sister." Chrom smiled.
"We're going to see dancers?" Lissa explained. "I'll pass, actually. I want to do some shopping of my own."
"Milady, are you certain that's a wise decision?" Frederick asked.
"Oh relax, it's not like I'm going to the next town over. I'll be around...somewhere...doing something..."
"Er...right, then we'll see you later, ok?" Chrom told her. "Stay out of trouble."
"Heey, I do NOT get in trouble!" Lissa called back as they walked off. She then wandered around a bit. "It's not often I get a moment to myself to do me things anymore." She hummed to herself. She walked up to a counter. It was filled with glittering jewelry. Lissa's eyes sparkled as she looked at each one. There were gems of many kinds; Rubies, Sapphires, Diamonds, Topazes, and even some she didn't know the name of. "Wow, such lovely colors! If only I had enough gold to buy at least one." She looked down at the wedding ring on her finger. "..."
"Ma'am, can I help you?"
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!" Lissa jumped and turned around and hit a man with her staff. The man stumbled back, clutching his head in pain. Lissa gasped and helped the man up. The man was wearing a hood, which covered his eyes. This made it hard for Lissa to identify the man. "Oh my gosh, are you okay sir?!" She asked him. When the man didn't reply, she waved her staff in front of him. "Yoo-hoo! Anyone home? I hope I didn't knock out any lights in there..."
"N-no, I'm fine ma'am." The man said, rubbing his forehead. Lissa held her hands to her face, covering her mouth. "I shouldn't ha-"
"NO, don't say a word that involves self-pity and apologizing!" Lissa said. "I'M sorry for overreacting and bonking you on the noggin! Are you hurt?" She out a hand on his forehead. "I don't feel any bruises, and you aren't flinching..." Lissa sighed. "It looks like you're ok." The man didn't reply, thus making Lissa worried. "I think we got off on the wrong toe! Lemme start again! *ahem* Heya, my name's Lissa. What's yours?"
"..." the man thought for a moment."hmm...what is my name again..."
"Uh-oh, looks like you've got amnesia." Lissa frowned. "If only you were someone else..."
"Excuse me?" the man looked at her confused.
"N-nevermind! I-I have to go meet my brother, so I have to go now!" Lissa was now blushing and panicking. "It was nice meeting you!" Lissa hurried and rushed off, leaving the man confused behind her. Lissa ran around the town shops, looking for her family. She wandered around for a while, looking for any sign of someone she knew. She soon ran upon a small stage surrounded by many people that seemed to go on for miles. "Oh man, that was too embarrassing..." Lissa stopped to catch her breath and looked up on the stage. On the stage were two figures, both being the opposite gender of the other. The female had long pink hair and wore a silky white outfit which sparkled as she danced across the stage. The man had light brown hair and wore a blue outfit similar to the female. He danced alongside her, and both of them flipped, glided, and soared across the stage to the sound of violins playing in the background. The crowd cheered as they both came to a stop, hand in hand, without losing their balance. Lissa knew who these two were, and as soon as the crowd cleared up, she ran up the stage. Upon seeing her, the man greeted her with a smile, although Lissa rushed right past him and hugged the female, who yelped in surprise.
"L-Lissa! You know not to scare me like that!" The woman said, shaking.
"Sorry Olivia, I couldn't resist." Lissa giggled. "It's been a while since I've seen you in Ylisse."
"Well, touring does make good gold..." Olivia blushed. "But it's wonderful to see you again! What are you doing here?"
"Oh, I'm on a business trip with Chrom and Frederick. Apparently, we're gonna go mystery hunting or something. I'm still not too sure."
"I see, well I'm sure you'll have fun." Olivia gigged.
"*ahem*"
"Nah, I heard the castle got attacked and they asked Chrom to come right away." Lissa frowned a bit. "I hope everything's ok. I don't wanna go back to war."
"I know how you feel, especially since we worked so hard to keep peace." Olivia mumbled something afterwards.
"I hope we can keep this kind of peace just a bit longer. I sorta made a promise to keep it for as long as I live." Lissa let out a small chuckle.
"Really, may I ask to whom?" Olivia smiled at her as her blushing finally died down.
"Well, for starters, I promised Naga, then I promised-"
"*AHEM*"
Olivia and Lissa turned to see the dancing man standing there. "Don't ignore me!" He cried.
"Opps, sorry Inigo. I didn't see you right away." Lissa put on a shy smile. "How's the dancing world treating you?"
"Like a shining charm among the most prettiest of ladies!" Inigo smiled. "It helps mother and I achieve our dreams, it brings in the ladies, we're seeing the world, and it means I have two jobs at once!"
"Same old Inigo, even when you're married." Lissa frowned.
"Oh do not worry, I know my boundaries. I've got at least 6 girls who would kill me for cheating on one." Inigo blushed a bit. "I'd love to stay and have a cup of tea sometime, but Mother, we do have to be at the Mila tree by tomorrow's sunset."
"Ah! You're right! We don't want to be late!" Olivia gasped. "Sorry to cut this reunion short Lissa, but we need to move on now."
"Hey, don't worry about it girl, you go on and dance your heart away!" Lissa smiled and hugged her before Inigo pulled his mom away. Once she was along, she walked off the stage and thought to herself. "I thought a troupe was at least three people..." She then bumped into the man in the hoodie. Lissa could feel his eyes on her, even though she couldn't see them. "Gah! O-oh, it's you...heeeeeeeey..."
The man stuck out his hands and dropped a small bag inside Lissa's hands. "Huh? What's this? Gold? Candy?"
"Please ma'am. Do not open it until the time is right." The man said. "I had to deliver it to you, for I was told you'd know when the right moment is."
"B-but I don't even-"
"P-please, I insist." The man's voice started shaking. "I...I want you to be able to take care of yourself...and your new family." Before Lissa could question it the man walked off. "Goodbye...Princess Lissa." With those last words, the man in the hoodie disappeared into the alleyways. Lissa called out to him, but he did not respond and only kept walking.
"How did he know my name and that I'm a princess!?" Lissa asked herself. "Is it that obvious? Hey. HEY!" But it was too late. The man's figure had already disappeared. "And here I've been told it's hard to believe I'm a princess. Just who was that man? How did he know me? And what the heck was he talking about?!" Reluctantly, Lissa stuck the bag in her pocket and headed in the opposite direction. As she walked along, thinking of her mysterious "friend", she heard yelling.
"What do you mean he's gone?!" Cried an unhappy voice.
"My deepest apologies, but he disappeared while I browsed the food set up by the pier." Another voice said, sounding more depressed than the first.
"Who wandered off?" Said a voice that sounded like Chrom's.
Lissa walked a bit and turned a corner to see her family and friends talking with a worried Anna, a frightened Tiki, a smug Virion, an unhappy Cherche, and a gloomy Say'ri.
"He wandered off on my watch...'tis my fault he got away..." Say'ri was standing with her arms crossed. Each hand clutched onto an arm tightly. She seemed greatly disturbed.
"Hey, did something happen?" Lissa asked.
"Someone has been led astray and is now missing, according to Princess Say'ri." Frederick said
"Oh no!" Lissa was shocked. "Was this person kidnapped or something?"
"I am not sure to my knowledge...but he is right, and I am wrong..."Say'ri closed her eyes. "That I promised to help him and I failed...forgive me, Robin."
Who did Lissa meet? Why did "Robin" wander off? WHY I ASK YOU, WHY?
*ahem*
So I was stuck on this for a while, thinking on who to introduce next, and then I remembered it's Inigo's birthday...so, happy birthday, you shameless flirt!
Inigo: Olivia's son from the future, who has decided to stay by his mother's side and achieve his dream of being a dancer by being her right hand man in her dance troupe. A friendly lad with a lot smiles to go around, especially for women. Despite being a shallow flirt, he never gives up, even after marriage. He's danced his days away after the war and sacrifice of the only man who would listen to his female troubles.
The one with the biggest, most frequent smile.
Olivia: A dancer with a strong desire to help others, despite being terribly shy. Despite this, she's well known around the world for her skills in dancing and combat. After the war, she's chosen to work towards her secret goal of owning her own theater as a promise to a friend by leading a dance troupe she created herself.
The one with the prettiest blush.